the same country recognised the time of sowing by the observation of the Pleiades[569]. The Guarayu call the Pleiades _piangi_; when they disappear the dry season begins, and when Orion is no longer visible a period of cold dew begins. The Chacobo of north-eastern Bolivia regulate the time of sowing by the position of the Pleiades in relation to the spot where the sun rises[570]. The Chané and Chiriguano do the same. When the Pleiades rise above the horizon very early in the morning, the time for sowing has come: it is important for this to be finished before the rainy season sets in[571]. Still further tribes, for which I refer to Frazer, relate myths about the Pleiades, worship them, and celebrate feasts at their appearance. So did the inhabitants of ancient Peru, who called the Pleiades ‘the Maize-heap’[572]. It might probably be thought that the observation of the Pleiades has spread from this ancient civilised people among the inhabitants of S. America, but it is of so primitive a character that it rather appears to have been one of the rudiments of the astronomical knowledge of the people of the Incas. In Africa also the observation of the stars, and above all of the Pleiades, is wide-spread. In view of the dissemination of this knowledge all over the world it is making a quite unnecessary exception to state that it came into Africa from Egypt. Moreover this assertion does not correspond with the facts, since among the Egyptians Sirius, and not the Pleiades, occupied the chief place. The observation of the appearance of Canopus and Sirius we have already found highly developed among the Bushmen, that of the Pleiades among the Hottentots. The Bechuana of Central S. Africa are directed by the positions of certain stars in the heavens that the time has arrived in the revolving year when particular roots can be dug up for use, or when they may commence their labours of the field. This is their _likhakologo_ (‘turnings’ or ‘revolvings’), at what we should call the spring-time of the year. The Pleiades they call _selemela_, which may be translated ‘cultivator’ or ‘the precursor of agriculture’ (from _lemela_, ‘to cultivate _for_’, and _se_, a pronominal prefix, distinguishing these stars as the actors). When the Pleiades assume a certain position in the heavens it is the signal to commence cultivating their fields and gardens[573]. The Caffres determine the time of sowing by observing the Pleiades[574]; the Bantu tribes of S. Africa regard their rising shortly after sunset as indicating the planting-season[575]. The Amazulu call the Pleiades _isilimela_, which has the same meaning as the Bechuana name, since they begin to dig up the soil when the Pleiades appear. The people say: ‘_isilimela_ dies and is not seen’, and at last, when winter is coming to an end, it begins to appear, one of its stars first and then three, until, continuing to increase, it becomes a cluster of stars and is perfectly clearly seen when the sun is about to rise.